Polaris Dawn Crew Unveils Breathtaking Photos from Historic Mission

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On September 12, 2024, astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn achieved a landmark milestone by conducting the first-ever commercial spacewalk. This groundbreaking event was broadcast live, featuring Commander Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis as they emerged from the Crew Dragon spacecraft, “Resilience,” soaring 875 miles above Earth—marking the highest orbit reached since NASA’s Apollo program. Their journey has now been celebrated with a series of stunning images shared by the Polaris Program.

“Sun and Skywalker.” Credit: Polaris Dawn crew, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The four-person crew, which also included medical officer Anna Menon and mission pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet—who stayed inside the capsule during the spacewalk—spent five days orbiting Earth. Throughout their journey, they conducted various research and experiments before safely returning to Earth with a splashdown off the coast of Florida.

Click the images to view them in full size.

“Draco burn and Skywalker.”
Credit: Polaris Dawn crew, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Sarah “Cooper” Gillis in space.
Credit: Polaris Dawn crew, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Earth and the Moon from space.”
Credit: Polaris Dawn crew, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The crew had the chance to capture breathtaking views of our planet, including stunning images of Italy, Croatia, and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Nile River snaking through Egypt.

Italy, Croatia, and the Mediterranean Sea as seen from space.
Credit: Polaris Dawn crew, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Egypt and the Nile River viewed from above.
Credit: Polaris Dawn crew, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Throughout their mission, the images provided by the Polaris Dawn crew offer a glimpse of not only their extraordinary journey but also the beauty of Earth as seen from the final frontier.

Scott “Kidd” Poteet operating a door on the space capsule.
Credit: Polaris Dawn crew, Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0